Pneumatic organ-action



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. Y J. VLPILOHER. PNEUMATIC ORGAN ACTION.

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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. J. V. PILGHER. PNEUMATIC ORGAN ACTION. No.498,362. Patented May 30,1893.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN V. PILOI'IER, OF LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY.

PNEUMATIC ORGAN-ACTION.

SFECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 498,362, dated May 30,1893.

Application filed February '7, 1393- Serial No. 461,379. (No model.)

T0 at whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN V. PILCHER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Iiouisville, in the county of Jefferson and State ofKentucky, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in PneumaticOrgan-Actions; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame.

This invention relates to that class of church organs which are providedwith pipes operated by wind and controlled in some or all of theiroperations by pneumatic devices.

In organs as heretofore constructed, it is possible for dirt to gatherunder the valve which supplies each individual pipe, causing the same toleak and the pipe to sound when it is not called for; second, in theconstruction of pneumatic organs the chest grooveboards are usuallylocated near to and in a direction transverse to the direction of thebottom board of the stop chambers so that before any bottom board couldbe removed all of the chest groove-boards had to be taken away, also thebottom board running the whole length of each chest, in order to reachthe interior Works; and the valves have been heretofore so arranged thatit was difficult to examine them when they were seated as in service;third, heretofore each series of pipes has been located directly overits own stop chamber and the pipes themselves were set directly on thetop boards of said chamber, rendering it difficult to obtain thenecessary room for properlylocating the pipes and leave spacebetweenthemfor speaking room without spreading the chamber room beneath thepipe so as to crowd the chest valve chamberout to one side of a verticalline of pipes, thus requiring room on the ground plan of the organ whichmay be extremely valuable for other purposes; fourth, it is desirable tolocate the supply valve as close to the individual pipe as possible andyetsuch close location has heretofore caused the wind to produce achirping sound before he full tone of the pipe is yielded; fifth, hretoforc the exhaust ports to the individual stop chambers have beenlocated in the top of the chambers where dirt is likely to fall intothem, and where the space is usually valuable for other purposes and isgenerally occupied, so that the ports left at liberty to fall naturallythrough the valve openings out of the organ, and that the pipe will notsound even if its valve does leak; second, by so constructing andarranging the chest groove-boards and the stop-chamber bottom boardsthat small portions of each may be removed with the valves which requireattention, located in their normal position upon their ports, so thatthey can be readily examined and adjusted without disturbing theadjacent groove-boards nor the adjacent portions of the stopchamberbottom; third, by providing a top or table for the stop chambers,and another top above it composed of boards for the pipes to rest on,and by peculiarly constructing and locating those boards and the pipesupply grooves therein I bring the chest valve chamber and the stopchambers onto the narrowest practicable floor space and I obtain thisfull space for the location and speaking room of the pipes; fourth, byso arranging the pipe supply ducts that each one has an individual aircushion chamber near the pipe I cause the wind to attack the pipe infull volume yet with such elastic force as to produce a full clear toneunder the most rapid manipulation; fifth, by locating the exhaust portvalve for each stop chamber wholly within the chamber and extending thedelivery of said port to open air at a vertical side of the chamber Iprevent dirt from falling into the valve, and access to said valve maybe readily had from the said side of the chamber without disturbingother parts or being intercepted by them. These and other minor objectsI accomplish by various devices which will be more fully hereinafterdescribed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in whichFigure 1, shows a transverse vertical section partly in side elevationof a portion of a pneumatic organ in accordance with my invention. Fig.2, shows a longitudinal vertical section, partly in front elevationalong one of the stop chambers of the wind chest. Fig. 3, shows alongitudinal vertical section of a portion of a wind chest transverse tothe stop chambers. Fig. 4, shows a longitudinal vertical section of aportion of a Wind chest lengthwise of a bar between two stop chambers.Fig. 5, shows a horizontal section at the line 00 in Fig. 4. Fig. 6,shows adetail on a larger scale.

10 represents pipes of an organ mounted in the usual manner upon theboards 11.

12 represents the stop chambers between which are partitions 13 calledbars, each of which is firmly secured to a table 14, which table mayextend over one chamber or any number of chambers, and the table maybeof one piece or in many pieces joined together.

15 represents the bottom boards of the stop chambers comprisinga seriesof sections each of which may extend across one chamber or anyconvenient number of chambers, but there are a number of sections ofthe-bottom board in the length of each chamber. The joint at the ends oftwo sections is shown at 16 Fig. 2, beneath a stay bar 17 which islocated across within each stop chamber, and the bottom boards may besecured to the said stay bars by means of screws each of which passesthrough a hole partly in the end of each adjacent board, and extends upinto the stay bar, with a washer 18 beneath each screw head extendingover onto the boards within a countersink. The bottom board may beotherwise secured, if it should be found convenient, by passingscrewsinto the partition bars 13.

19 represents a series of groove-boards located at a little distancebeneath the stop chambers transversely thereto, each grooveboardcorresponding in width to the length of the section of the bottom boarddirectly over it, and registering therewith so that the removal of onegroove board opens a passage for any one of the sections of the bottomboard located over it, without the necessity of removing other grooveboards.

20 represents the wind box extending across to meet the ends of all thestop chambers comprised in one wind chest. Each stop chamber 12communicatesby means of an individual supply valve 21 with the wind box20 whereby wind is received into the stop chamber to sound any or all ofthe pipes connected with that chamber.

22 is an exhaust valve mounted upon the same wire or rod as the supplyvalve 21, and fitted to close the exhaust port of its individual stopchamber by the same act that opens the supply valve. This exhaust porthas its delivery at 23 at a vertical side of the Wind chest, thuspreventing dust and dirt from falling into the port, and placing thevalve in position to be reached from the side. The valve 22 is locatedand operates wholly within the exterior walls of the valve cham ber thusavoiding liability to derangement, and leaving the top of the chest freeto be occupied over the wind box by large pipes for which there is notusually room directly on top of the stop chambers.

25 is a bellows or motor receiving air from the wind box 20 by way ofthe valve 26, which tends to hold the bellows normally open, and the rodof the valve 21 resting upon the bellows holds that valve normallyclosed.

27 is a spring assisting to hold the valve 21 closed.

28' is a diaphragm motor located upon a passage 29 which is normallyfilled with compressed air, holding the diaphragm extended and the valve26 open by means of the valve stem whose foot rests on the saiddiaphragm. 30 is another valve located upon the said stem over theexhaust port which itholds normally closed.

31 is a guide bar located across within the wind box and serving as abearing for the upper end of the rod of the valves 26, 30 to slide in.The passage 29 may lead to any suitable chamber 32, Fig. 1, containingcom pressed air in a position convenient to have the supply valve 33operated by a stop key 31. Thus each stop chamber 12 is controlled by anindividual stop 3t on the koy-board of the organ.

35 represents the chest valve chamber which is kept constantly filledwith compressed air and is provided with valves 36 leading to passages37 corresponding in number to the nu mber of keys of that manual of thekey-board to which this wind chest belongs. It may here be observed thateach wind chest and its accessories comprise a small organ, and for eachregister of manual keys, and for each register of pedal keys there is aseparate wind chest comprising such an organ. Thus it will be understoodthat the common church organ comprises a number of such small organs.Each passage 37 communicates with one letter key of the manual and isprovided with a series of motors 38, one opposite to each stop chamber12.

39 represents a valve located in each stop chamber 12 over one of themotors 38, and covering the inlet port of a duct which leads to asounding pipe 10, and all the pipes actuated by one passage 38 are tunedto one letter, for example 0, but these pipes may be of differentqualities of tone or of different octaves according to the stop chamberthat each belongs to. V hen aletter key is pressed, its valve 36 isopened, raising all the motors 38 and opening the valve 39 in every windchest, but only such pipes will be sounded as are upon chests providedwith wind by their stops having been set on.

The duct 40 is peculiar in two respects: First, that portion 4-1 whichlies in the top board 11 extends horizontally to various distancesaccording to the location of the pipes, and the top boards 11 are soarranged that some of the pipes may be located directly over theirrespective stop chambers as at 43, or they may be located so as toextend partly over the adjacent stop chamber as at 44, or entirely offfrom their own chamber and over other chambers or over the chest valvechamber as at 45, by which means I am enabled to utilize the whole topof the wind chest includ ing stop chambers and chest valve chamber forthe location of pipes, thus giving more speaking room to the pipes witha given amount of floor space; second, the ducts 40 are enlarged intheir vertical columns 48 as shown more particularly in Figs. 4 and 5,whereby an individual reservoir is formed in each duct to serve as acushion chamber for the air immediately beforeit reaches each pipe, sothat no matter how suddenly the valve 39 may be opened the wind willattack the pipe softly and in full volume, thus instantly producing afull melodious tone in contrast to the chirping sound which the pipesometimes gives forth when suddenly fed by a duct of uniform diameterthroughout its length.

46 is an exhaust valve for each duct 40 located upon the same stem asthe valve 39 and left normally open while the valve 39 is left normallyclosed.

47 is a foot piece for the rod of valves 39 and 46 standing upon thediaphragm of the motor 38. By providing an exhaust port for the valve 46to each duct 40 between the pipe and the stop chamber 12 I furnish anexit for any leakage of wind which might occur if one of the valves 39should chance to beheld a little open by dirt, so that such leakage willpass out freely at the valve 46 and not cause the pipe to sound. Byplacing the valves 39 directly in and upon the bottom boards 15 I amenabled to remove the valves with the bottom board and to examine eachand every valve in the exact position relative to its seat that itoccupies when closed up in the organ; and the bottom boards beingdivided into sections as before described, renders this inspection andany adjustment that may be required comparatively easy, so that if avalve 39 becomes leaky it may be readily inspected and repaired, yetwhile leaking its pipe does not sound and it will not prevent the use ofthe organ.

The valves 39 and 46 secured upon a single stem provided with the footpiece 47 resting freely upon the motor 38 on the groove board 19,permits the removal of one or allthe groove boards without disturbingthe said valves, the valves being entirely supported by and carried uponthe bottom boards 15 of the stop chambers.

The inlet valve ports to the pipe-supplying ducts bear a ratio to theports of the exhaust valve 3 of eight to five in diameter, whichproportions are formed in practice to so balance the valve that it willrespond with accuracy to the most rapid and delicate touch upon thekeys.

The inlet valve 36 connected with an exhaust valve 49 of each individualair passage 37, is of the same construction and operation as the valves39 and 46 before described, but the motor 50 is provided with anindependent exhaust valve 51 that is connected with a button 52 whichrests upon the motor whereby the usual flexible diaphragm motor isprovided with an exhaust port automatically closed and opened by thesaid motor, so that when the air ceases to press upon the motor theexhaust port will open, permitting, the air to escape and allowing themotor to recede instantly so as to respond to the most rapidmanipulation.

54 is a box supplied with compressed air, and 55 is an inlet valve tothe passage 53 which supplies the motor 50. The valve 55 is operated bya motor 57 upon an air passage 56 to which wind is supplied from abox 58through a port 59 by a valve 60 which is connected with a key 61 of themanual No.1.

62 isa motor connected with the stem of the valve 55, and actuated byair from the same box 54, the acting area for air pressure upon themotor 62 being proportioned to the area of the valve 55 so as to balancethe action on the valve of the wind in the box, thus leaving the valveat liberty to be actuated by a very little pressure from the motor 57.

63 is a valve upon the stem of the valve 55 performing the doublefunction of an exhaust port valve for the passage 53, and a return motorfor pneumatically reseating the valve 55. To this end the size of theexhaust port 64 is made in due relation to the size of the supply portof valve 55, but its lower end or mouth 65 where the valve 63 rests isvery much enlarged so that the area of pressure upon the valve 63 isgreater than the area of pressure upon the valve 55 and the action uponthe valve 63 will be instantaneous to close the valve 55, yet theexhaust port 64 remains at the proper size not to waste air at theinstant of opening the valve 55.

By this system of balancing the valves avery light pressure of Wind inthe box 58 operating along passage 56 will instantly actuate the motor57, no matter at what distance it may be located from the key board,because the valve 55 being so accurately balanced will act freely nomatter how great the pressure may be in the chest 54, and that pressurewill instantly actuate motor 50 and open the valve 36 while theautomatic escape valve 51 for the motor will permit the air to exhaustinstantly from the motor in response to the instantaneous action of thevalve 55. This combination producesa means of pneumatic communication sosensitive that the modern devices of echo organs, dad, may be located atgreat distances from the key board of the main organ and yet respondperfectly thereto.

The object of the second port 56 under the same valve 60 is tocommunicate with another wind chest or organ by means of passage 68.This wind chest or organ which I will call chest No.2, is not here shownbecause it may be in all respects like the wind chest already described.

.69 is a wind box, a valve covering the port leading therefrom to thepassage 68, and '71 is a key of the upper manual. connected with thevalve 70, and by means of this upper manual which I call manual No. 2,the second organ or wind chest No. 2, may be directly operated.

2 is a wind box provided with motors 73, one for each key or manualNo. 1. To this wind box compressed air will be admitted by means of anyusual key or knob upon the manual or pedal board. .Vhenever the usualmanual No. 1, is being played upon, both the valve ports 59 and 66 areopened by every action of the key, and whenever it is desirable tooperate two organs by the same manual that knob is to be drawn whichadmits air into the box 72. Then the motor 73 will open the valve 74 andadmit air from port (36 to passage 68 and operate organ No. 2 while atthe same time air entering port 59 operates organ No. 1. If the passage66 opened directly into passage 56 without the interposition of thevalve 00 there would be an unexpected back action through the valve 74and the said passage 56, whereby organ No. 1 would always be operated ifthere chanced to be wind in the box 72 when manual No. 2 was beingplayed upon, but with the present device the two organs will be coupledtogether to respond only to the action of manual No. 1 as thus fardescribed.

75 represents a pedal connected with a valve 76 opening between wind box77 and passage 78 of organ No. 3, not shown.

79 is a passage leading off from passage 78 and provided with twobranches 80 and S1 communicating with air boxes 82 and 83 by means ofvalves and motors S4 and respectively. The valve 84c admits air topassage 88 which may communicate with organ N0. 1, and the motor valve85 admits air through passage 87 which may communicate with organ No. 2.The air boxes 82 and 83 have their respective keys or knobs within reachof the operator whereby he may at any time admit air to either of thesaid boxes and when the air is so admitted any performance upon thepedals will not onlysound the pedal organ No. 3, but will also soundorgan No. 1, if chest 82 is open, and organ No. 2, if chest 83 is open.

lVhile the method of coupling the manuals is particularly sensitive andsuitable to the light manipulation of the fingers yetthe accompanyingdevices occupy a great deal of space and there is not room in the frontpart of the organ to repeat such devices for the pedals, nor is suchsensitiveness required nor even admissible where the weight of theoperators feet must be allowed for on the pedals. Therefore though Ihave shown two methods of coupling, one with the manual keys and theother with pedals yet neither method would be successful it changed tothe other style of keys and both methods of couplings are essential in afull organ in order to produce the perfection of action at which I aim.

86 is an exhaust valve for the passage 68 and it is located upon thestem of valve 7% like other valves hereinbefore described.

The operation of the various parts has been set forth in connection withthe description of the construction and functions thereof.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I believe to be new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is the following:

1. The combination in a pneumatic organ action, of a series ofstop-chambers separated by partition bars; bottom boards for thestopchambers, made in separable sections, there being two or moresections or bottom boards in the length of each chamber; and a series ofgroove-boards located beneath and transversely to the stop-chambers, thewidth of each groove-board corresponding to the length of the section ofthe bottom boards directly over it, substantially as described wherebythe removal of a groove-board will uncover and permit the removal of thesections of bottom boards over it.

2. The combination in a pneumatic organ action, of a series ofstop-chambers and bot tom boards therefor divided into separablesections in the length of each chamber, sub stantially as described.

3. The combination in a pneumatic organ action, of a series ofstopchambers separated by partition-bars; bottom-boards for the saidchambers divided into separable sections in the length of each chamber,and cross-bars within the chambers at the joints of the said sectionsfor securing the sections, substantially as described.

4.. The combination in a pneumatic organ action, of a series ofstop-chambers; bottomboards therefor divided into separable sec tions inthe length of the chambers, and groove-boards corresponding in width tothe length of the said sections and located each groove board directlybeneath one or more sections of bottom boards, substantially asdescribed.

5. The combination in a pneumatic organ action, of a series ofstop-chambers located side-by-side as a portion of the wind chest; awind box extending across and communicating by Valves with therespective chambers, and a pneumatically operated exhaust valve for eachchamber located wholly within the walls of the chest and having itsdischarge port at the side of the wind chest, substantially asdescribed.

6. The combination in a pneumatic organ IIO action, of a series ofstop-chambers each provided with valves located on its bottom board andcommunicating with the organ pipes and with the keys; each valve havinga stem with a foot upon it depending below the bottom board and one ormore groove-boards located below the said bottom; the grooves of theseboards being provided with motors located beneath the said valvestemfeet for the same to rest removably upon substantially as described.

7. The combination in a pneumatic organ action, of a series ofstop-chambers separated by partition bars and provided with a table ontop of the bars; separable pipe supporting top-boards upon the table,and ducts passing from the lower portion of the chambers up thepartitions through the table and into the top-boards wherein said ductsare extended to pipes located above and to one side of the chamber fromwhich the ducts started, substantially as described.

8. The combination in a pneumatic organ action, of a series ofstop-chambers provided with a top-table and a series of pipe supportingboards located removably upon said toptable, substantially as described.

9. The combination in a pneumatic organ action, of a series ofstop-chambers; a series of pipes located above them; valves in thechambers and ducts communicating between the valves and pipesindividually, each duct being enlarged into an air cushion chamber nearthe pipe, substantially as described.

10. The combination in a pneumatic organ action, of a series of pipes;and supply ducts and valves for the pipes, the ducts each being providedwith an air cushion chamber near its pipe, substantially as described.

11. The combination in a pneumatic organ action, of a series ofstop-chambers; bottomboards therefor made in movable sections and Valvesfor supplying individual pipes seated upon and carried by the sectionsof the bottom-boards substantially as described.

12. The combination in a pneumatic organ action, of a series of pipes, aseries of stopchambers; movable bottom-boards for the chambers; ducts inthe bottom-boards to communicate between the stop-chambers and pipes;aninlet valve to each duct in the bottom-board and an exhaust port forthe same directly under the said valve, substantially as described.

13. The combination in a pneumatic organ action, of a series of pipes; aseries of stopchambers; ducts leading from the said chambers to therespective pipes; an inlet valve for each duct in the bottom of thechamber and an exhaust valve for the same duct connected with the inletvalve to be operated to open and close in. opposition to each other, thesizes of the ports of the said two valves bearing the definite ratio toeach other set forth, substantially as described.

let. The combinationin a pneumatic organ action, of a chest-valvechamber 35; passages leading therefrom to communicate with individualpipes; inlet and exhaust port valves for each passage; passagescommunicating with manual keys; a motor upon each key passage; anexhaust port for the motor and a valve for that port provided with astem extending through the movable member of the motor and a button uponthe stem resting on the motor, the foot of the aforesaid passage valveresting freely upon the said button, substantially as described.

15. The combination in a pneumatic organ action, of a pneumatic motorlocated upon the side of a wind passage 53 and adapted to movetransversely to the passage; an exhaust port in the opposite side of thepassage; a valve covering the exhaust port and connected with the motorsubstantially as described whereby the forward move of the motor closesthe said valve and the return move opens the valve.

16. The combination in a pneumatic organ action, of a wind box 5% havinga port at one side; a valve for the said port; means exterior to thewind box for opening the valve; and a motor at the opposite side of thewind box from the said valve and connected therewith and acting tobalance the valve relative to the wind pressure in the box,substantially as described.

17. The combination in a pneumatic organ action, of a wind box 5%, anairpassage at one side of the box and connected therewith by a supplyvalve port and having an exhaust port opposite to the supply port;valves for the said two ports mounted upon a single stem which passesthrough the passage and through the wind box; means connected with thesaid stem for balancing the action on the valves of the wind in the box;a motor for opening the supply valve and at the same time closing theexhaust valve; the exhaust port being small at its entrance and muchenlarged at its exit at the seat of its valve, substantially asdescribed.

18. The combination in a pneumatic organ action, of two manuals of keys;two wind boxes 58 and 69; a main air passage adapted to lead from eachof the said boxes respect ively to the sounding mechanism of a separateorgan or wind chest; a branch passage communicating between one of thesaid main passages and the other wind box; a valve in the last named boxcovering both the main passage and the branch passage leading from thatbox; connections between the said valve and a key of one manual; a valveon the port of the branch at the other main passage, and anindependently operated wind box provided with a series of motors toactuate a series of the last named valves, substantially as described.

19. The combination in a pneumatic organ action, of a set of pe'dalkeys; a wind box; a main air passage and a valve therefor connected witheach key and adapted to connect the said wind box with a pipe of anorgan;

one or more branch passages connected with In testimony whereof I affixmy signature in each of the main passages; a separate Wind presence oftwo witnesses. box for each set of branch passages, a set of p i 4 j ER.passages having valves in the wind box for JOHN PH H 5 each set ofbranch passages, and inotorsupon Witnesses:

the branch passages to actuate the said valves R. E. PILCHER,

respectively, substantially as described. I. S. MADDOX.

